Was Ephraim Sklyansky's demise a mystery? You decide!

Joseph Stalin really, really hated Sklyansky. Here was a charismatic young Jew who rose through the ranks to become Leon Trotsky's #2. Hell, when the abrasive Trotsky was roaming the country, it was the charismatic Sklyansky who did most of the real work. Blessed with supreme analytical and organizational abilities... no, this is not someone Stalin wanted to have around.

But this is 1925; Stalin's power is still fragile. The murderous spree that will follow cannot be on the agenda... yet. So Sklyansky is removed from his high-ranking post and send on a working trip to that lovely, lovely place... upstate New York. The lakes, the forests, the mountains... it truly is gorgeous.

Can you guess what followed? It's pretty obvious what followed.

Skylansky and another Jew, Isai Khurgin, decided to take a nice kayak trip on Long Lake in the Adirondacks. Somehow, they got caught in a whirlpool in the middle of the lake, turned over, and drowned. "Somehow".

Not exactly a mystery...